Happy New Year everyone! This season there is a new surface being used on the ATP Tour: Water! See the video below for proof. In promotion of the Doha Qatar Exxon Mobile Open, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hit some tennis balls ON THE WATER in the gulf of Doha.

It’s looks really cool, unfortunately on that wet surface all the players can do is volley (and catch fish?). By the way, who dives in to get the ball if lands in the bay?

“It was a fantastic experience,” said Nadal who beat Federer a day earlier in the Abu Dhabi exo 76, 76. “For the past three years we have done a few different things, and this one was a very nice experience. It’s going to be a very exciting season for me, I think. I would love to play against Roger a few more times this year, because when we play each other it’s in the final.”

Said two-time Doha champion Federer, “It was good fun. It was so different. You’re always excited and nervous to see how it will turn out. It is always nice promoting an event and an entire tour with Rafa. I am of course very excited about playing another season on tour. I’m playing some of my best tennis again. I am really enjoying it and have high goals for this year.”

Nadal is seeded first, and he’ll play Karol Beck in his opener. He is seeded to play Ernests Gulbis in the quarterfinals, Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals. Second-seeded Federer begins 2011 against a qualifier with a chance at Viktor Troicki in the quarters followed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Friday semifinals.

Very cute indeed. Seems to be coming a Fedal tradition. You can only wonder what they’ll think of next in Doha, after the boat, the flying carpet, and now the water…
Well as long as they don’t put the guys to play on the wings of a flying plane, I guess all will be fine!

omg, cutest tennis couple ever! rafa is such a gentleman to the old man!
meanwhile, in perth, L. Robson almost took a set off of f. schiavone at hopman cup.
i like watching robson, and schiavone is rarely boring. good match!

contador-
this is a better link for the hopman cuphttp://channelsurfing.net/
scroll about 40% of the page with a little link for hopman.
once that little box comes up, click on the screen and it opens up to the original site, which is a little better quality.
this is soooooo early for aussie tennis, better not get used to it!

i didn’t think murray played too well….what i got to see of the match…my bf was on the phone…i was trying watch the match and telling him politely that tennis season has started up again and…uh….well, we’ll see how long this lasts…i try to get him interested …

all i want to do was look at the draws and catch up on tennis news.

gulbis will have a tough match against hanescu. ernie better be in shape!

Good job Andy M. Hope he and Laura can win the doubles. Welcome back to everyone, and happy new year. Conty I can’t remember the Canuck girl? Lol on your fognini persona. Also Kimberly, interesting that Kaiser took a stab, I was surprised he didn’t put Fed as #1.